Trump: US grounding Boeing 737 Max 8, 9 after Ethiopia crash

By ELIAS MESERET and YIDNEK KIRUBEL, Associated Press&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Wed 1:38 PM, Mar 13, 2019&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Wed 3:24 PM, Mar 13, 2019

HEJERE, Ethiopia (AP) - UPDATE: The Federal Aviation Administration says new evidence from the Ethiopian Airlines crash site coupled with its own data gathering led it to order the grounding of Boeing 737 Max planes.

Courtesy: CNN VAN

The agency's order Wednesday said new information had been uncovered from the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines jet. That, taken together with data from satellite-based tracking of the plane's flight path, pointed to similarities with an October crash of a Lion Air 737 Max in the Java Sea.

The FAA said it was ordering the jets' grounding while investigators determine whether there was a shared cause of the two crashes.

The agency's move Wednesday came after it had faced mounting criticism for backing the airworthiness of the 737 Max jets as countries around the world were grounding them.

For its part, Boeing said it supported the FAA's move out of an abundance of caution and to reassure the flying public of the aircrafts' safety. But it said it continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 Max planes.

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The U.S. is issuing an emergency order Wednesday grounding all Boeing 737 Max 8 and Max 9 aircraft "effective immediately," in the wake of the crash of an Ethiopian Airliner that killed 157 people, President Donald Trump said.

Many nations had already barred the Boeing 737 Max 8 from its airspace, but until Trump's announcement, the Federal Aviation Administration had said that it didn't have any data to show the jets are unsafe. Trump cited "new information" that had come to light in the ongoing investigation into incident. He did not elaborate.

"All of those planes are grounded, effective immediately," Trump said during a scheduled briefing on border security.

Trump said any airplane currently in the air will go to its destination and then be grounded. He added all airlines and affected pilots had been notified.

Trump said the safety of the American people is of "paramount concern," and added that the FAA would soon put out a statement on the action.

Trump said the decision to ground the aircraft "didn't have to be made, but we thought it was the right decision."

The president insisted the announcement was coordinated with aviation officials in Canada, U.S. carriers and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.

"Boeing is an incredible company," Trump said. "They are working very, very hard right now and hopefully they'll quickly come up with an answer."

In a statement, Boeing said it "continues to have full confidence in the safety of the 737 MAX." The company added that it had decided "out of an abundance of caution and in order to reassure the flying public of the aircraft's safety — to recommend to the FAA the temporary suspension of operations of the entire global fleet of 371 737 MAX aircraft."

Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg said the company was "supporting this proactive step out of an abundance of caution."

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